Another holiday senryu

Why not just call it
“Christeidholikwanzukah"
Instead of fighting?

Holiday senryu

On Christmas morning,
A house full of teenagers
Sleeps like the adults.

Winter branches

Skeletal branches,
Seem to claw at the dark clouds
That cover the sun.

Crystal fairyland

Crystal fairyland,
Sparkling in the winter sun —
And gone in a day.

Recycling (a senryu)

Last night’s cold coffee,
Brewed by visitor request,
Nuked — and warm again.

Greeting

Call the lazy dog —
A single flap of his tail
The only reply.

Health issues (a rude senryu)

One pill each morning,
Checking blood pressure daily —
Getting old blows toads.

Morning (senryu)

Empty already?
I could use some more coffee,
Fog has not lifted.

Mirror, mirror

Cold November morn!
A crumbling barn's reflection
In a misty pond.

Mystery nuke

Here, a mystery:
The microwave heats the ribs,
But not the creamed corn.

Software blues (a senryu)

Again, no update —
Time to look for something else.
Migration migraines!

Cirrus

Against the blue sky,
Taking their time, high above:
Wispy cirrus clouds.

Changing leaves, leaving

One day, green and brown.
The next, a riot of color:
But the wind comes soon.

Bus stop

Like a mother hen,
Followed by a string of chicks:
A plodding school bus.

Oh yeah (a senryu)

The smell of onions,
Diced for last night’s chili dogs:
Lingers on my hand.

Boom

Angry thunderstorms
Lash out with electric claws —
And bless us with rain.

Evening

Over the pine trees,
The setting sun placed a crown —
A golden aura.

Too soon

November too soon.
A chill, cloudy windy day
Promises winter.

Damp caress

A pale pink sunrise.
Fog encroaches on the road —
Autumn’s damp caress.

October Sunset

October sunset,
Painted the horizon gold,
And the clouds purple.

Falling limb

Snapping noise nearby:
A limb slithers from an oak.
Dogs rush in barking.

Stubby

Near lost in shadow,
A chickadee is perching
On a stubby branch.

Jay

Off in the distance,
Above the sound of fall wind:
A blue jay screeches.

Puffs

Floating on the wind,
Little white feathery seeds
Drift by my hammock.

Soar

Against the blue sky,
Taking their time, high above:
A flock of buzzards.

A tribute (senryu)

Edgar Allan Poe:
His demons tormented him
Before he was dead.

Don’t miss Carnacki’s tribute.

Foggy darkness

On the road tonight,
It seems completely different
In foggy darkness.

Thanks, guys

Cops direct traffic,
Standing in tropical rain
In front of a school.

Qualifications (a senryu)

That which makes a geek
Is what is between the ears —
Not in the toy box.

Goldenrod blooming

A splash of yellow,
Against the browns and dull greens:
Goldenrod blooming.

Confidence

A fallen red leaf,
Calls its brothers and sisters:
“We’ll cover the world!”

Threatening weather

A bruise-colored sky,
Air carries the smell of rain —
Dusky at noontime.

At last

End of September,
Waking to the sound of rain —
The drought is over!

More office senryu

Bleak, sterile white walls;
Projector whispers and whines —
Another meeting.

Climbers

On a chain-link fence,
Working their way through the mesh:
Honeysuckle vines.

Autumnal Equinox

First day of autumn,
And yet no hint in the air:
Summer lingers on.

Persistence

The triumph of life!
Pushing through a pavement crack:
A dandelion.

Green monster

Climbing kudzu vines
Have built a green barrier
At the forest edge.

The show's on

With her tail lashing,
A cat watches a lizard
Through the storm door glass.

To the Teenagers (a senryu)

You must be joking!
You can't get up by yourself,
And think you're mature?

Choices

I stand at a fork.
One path may never be walked;
The other, my fate.

Cheerful daydream

A cheerful daydream:
Butterfly with ragged wings
Lights on a fence post.

Night shadows

A rippling shadow:
Leaves whispering their secrets
Under a full moon.

Bad apples

“The apples at school
Have the flavor of cardboard,”
My son said to me.

Wrinkly senryu

After bending over:
When she stands, her skirt is bunched
In her cleft behind.

Fire moon

This September moon
Has drank from the sun’s bottle —
Shining bright orange!

Looking back

Somewhere in my mind:
A young man, laughing, happy.
Who I might have been?

Approaching harvest

Under leaden skies;
Autumn wind blowing southward
Wheat stalks wave and sway.

Inspired by one of David's photos.

Huh?

A troubling sight:
Three helicopters landing
Next to the highway.

Hazy

Thick September haze —
Morning sun struggles to pierce
Fog of sky and mind.

Baby-sitter

Though seeming to sleep,
Mother cat keeps careful watch
Over her kittens.

Advice (a senryu) #2

I told my daughter:
“Boys will tell you anything;
Ask me how I know.”

Morning air

This crisp morning air!
Promise of afternoon heat —
But hints of autumn.

Familiar territory

The man’s steady hand
Traces the mounds and hollows
Of his wife’s smooth skin.

Cat's eyes

Like glowing embers
Flickering by the roadside
This September night.

Waiting

Traffic dwindling now
Late summer sun going down —
She will join me... soon.

To Richard Wright

Memory captured:
Ailing black man writes a verse
Spies watch him in France.

Change of weather

After so much rain
Now comes weeks of dry weather:
I water the plants.

Recess

Playground in winter.
Cruel boys taunting, throw snowballs —
Nobody knows why.

Growth

O fragrant green herbs!
A summer of sun and rain
Has been good to you!

Advice (a senryu)

I said to my son:
“You must understand the rules
To break them right.”

Fair warning

Blog spammers, know this:
You will always rue the day
We meet in person.

Young lust

Those strong deep kisses,
Naked in the summer sun
Streaming through the grove.

The great chase

On a sandy beach:
A naked little boy runs
Chasing sandpipers.

Guy line

Beyond easy reach:
A strand of spider web glows
In summer moonlight.

Hungry

Smell of fresh baked bread!
Teenage boys hover nearby —
“Just one slice, okay?”

Bonfire

Fire in a cage —
Holding back the winter chill
This New Year's Eve night.

Hunter

From a power line
A hawk surveys his field:
Swoops down, catches mouse.

Worship

A Sunday morning!
Church bells calling the faithful
To the house of God.

Sunbeams

Hazy fall morning.
Sunlight filtering through trees
Paints the air yellow.

Mom Moo

In a green pasture:
Cows are plaintively calling
for their lost children.

Blog spam

Unpleasant odors:
Spammer crapping in comments
Reaching for mallet.

Knock knock

At the lunch table
A cat asks to come inside:
Tick of claws on glass.

Out driving

Cool late-summer night
Headlights splash over the road:
Memories of youth.

Mower or less

Late summer sunshine:
Mower roaring past windows
Smell of fresh cut grass.

Cooler

September morning
Clear blue sky, bright cold sunshine —
Looking for sweater.

Migration

A clear autumn sky
Ragged vee, flying southward:
Sound of geese calling.

On faith

Faith is of the heart.
Is faith truly faith at all
When legislated?

In a certain ditch

Mother mourns her son.
Commander responsible
Drives by unheeding.

Numb

On this cooling night
Seeing images and stories:
Passed beyond feeling.

September

Misty, chilly air
Soft sunlight over treetops —
Autumn is coming.

Blogger's curse

Blogger scrolling down
Eagerly opens comments —
Curses, deletes spam.

Tornado warning

Dark clouds race, twisting —
Asking nothing of people
Who yet watch in awe.

for New Orleans

Summer storm, wind, flood
Queen city dealt mortal blow:
Fated to live on.

Mortality

Watching, pondering:
Will this girl too soon become
My daughter-in-law?

Wave this

Patriotism:
Standing up for rights of those
You disagree with.

Windy

In-laws, hurricanes:
Things best appreciated
From a great distance.

(This senryu is the unholy spawn of Katrina and my weekend.)

Could be working

Another meeting —
Interminable debate
Little accomplished.

Server room

Whispering air vents
Spinning fans, whirring hard drives:
I.T. lullaby.

Fishing

A young boy grinning
Struggles to lift trophy fish:
Father takes picture.

Self-portrait

A sigh, another
The poet counts syllables —
Katydids chatter.

Florida tennis

Dedicated to my mom.

Grandmother on court:
Blistering sun, scorching serve,
Teenager burned twice.

More questions

Very different:
Science asks the question, "How?"
Religion asks, "Why?"

One question

Soldiers overseas
Long summer of discontent —
Really worth it?

Computer senryu

My legs are burning
Desert summer, blast furnace
Pentium laptop.

OK, this one's a little dated, what with Centrino these days.

Parking lot sprint

Sticky August heat
Workers rush, roll up windows —
Thunder overhead.

Autumn color

Flowers gone dormant
Cool breezes bring new color:
Red and yellow leaves.